Interracial communication in South Africa: is cultural convergence possible?
Abstract
As the media confirms the growing gap between citizens with different ethnic or
racial origins in certain European countries, the lack of meaningful intercultural
interaction within the Rainbow Nation in South Africa is even worse when recent
occurrences are taken into consideration. Acting on erroneous perceptions and
irresponsible labelling of people can pose a significant danger to tolerance and
peaceful co-existence in South Africa; it could even be a threat to democracy. This
article endeavours to reflect on the “climate” which would enhance or prevent
interracial communication, in particular. The qualitative and post-structural
approach of Iben Jensen (2008) has been applied. The aim of the model is to
allow the researcher to “think through an intercultural communication process
and reflect upon it from a new perspective”. The proposition can be made that
the possibility of meaningful interracial communication is slim, unless the races
take the different contexts within a democracy into consideration, not misuse the
power or lack of power of their position, avoid stereotyping, put the past behind
them, communicate in a cultural sensitive manner about “emotional topics” and
ask the question: Do pronouncements and the meaning attached to them change if
it is communicated by someone from another race?
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10394/17636http://apps.ufs.ac.za/kovsiejournals/default.aspx?article=2483
Collections
- Faculty of Humanities [2042]